Derrick brace



' with respect to-the derrick or towerlegs plank girths; also, whenmaterial strains. or

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Appliatichr mean, iee. serial noraassa r This invention relatestoimprovements in those forms of derricks' or tower. construetions whereina system or arrangementfii' bracesiis employed to rlgidiiy and stabilizethe same, the lnventlon having tor arr-ob ect to provide a novel form ofconnection for the first or lowermost set ofbraces whereby said bracesmay be practically and securely connected or anchored attheir lower endsto the derrick or towerleg. V

v Itis likewise an vequally of the invention to provide 'a novel form ofdevice which when attached or connected to the le s or leg sections ot aderrick or tower 'wil serve v for a ,two-fold ifunction, first, as a.connecting or anchoring means'for the first and lowermost setof bracesand sec-i mats a efiectual stop or bracing means forthe plank girths ofthe "derrick or tower construction, whereby such girths will beprevented from having. upward l movement during the application ofupward or vertical stresses thereto as forexample in well drill ingderricks during the course of spuddlng in or drilling, during whichoperat1ons,upward stresses or thrusts are imparted to the stresses areapplied to the bull and calf wheels of oil well drilling rigging, whichwheels are connected to posts or similar-bearing devices with thefirstfor lowermost set of 1 the forward and rearward plank girths.

. Other objects of the invention will bein part obvious, and in partpointed out hereinafter. i l

of operation may bereadilyun'derstood by persons skilled in theart, Ihave in the accompanying illu'st'rative drawings, and in the detailedfollowing description based thereupon, set out one embodiment of thesame. fi I In these drawings I Figure l is a fragmentary detail in perspective of a derrick construction having the plank girthsfand legsections thereof pro vided withtheinvention;

FigureQ is an. enlarged ifrag nentary 'detail in perspective showingspecifically; the

"mounting'of the device with 'respect tojone of. the derrick ortowerlegs and "the'.adjacentf portion of certainof the plank; girths;

and,

important object In order that the invention and its mode- Figure 3 is;a detai improved device.

in. 'j ed i'e bf. t

characters of reference; will desi mtecd re spending parts throughout,it will be-noted that I have. herein'shown-my inventi n'as beingappliedlto that form. ofderrick oonstruction generally employed in thedrilling nate certainof the legs ofjsuch construction,

7 of .oil wells,"wherein the numerals 1 desigr V which legs areinterconnected and relatively braced in proximlty to their lowerportrons through the medium of pairs] of forvward and rearwardplank'gii'ths, certain of which are llustratedshereln and des gnated v tor thepurpose of convenience by thenu- Y meral 2, while other pla'nk'girthsf'3 are Se:

cured to the opposite or right angularly io p posed sides or the derrickCQ l LtruOtiO L- Y is indicated in the Figure 4:,

V v The usal and'generallyfaccepted;

of connecting, these planklgirths; QTand .te 1 i the derrick legs 1consistsfof :theipa ssing V I I of heavy bolts 4.through,theioppositejends of theplank girth s 2, which ends, as shown,

extend transverselyacross the Toppos itejsides or faees of theadjacent'flegs land also, extend for a distance slightly beyond the sameas is clearly illustrated in the Figures ,1 and 2; Lock nuts or othersuitable fastening devices are engaged with .the'screw threadedextremities of the shanks of these bolts 4: for

an obvious purpose. Other and similar bolts 7 5 arepassed through theopposite endcp ortions of the right angularly arrangedfplank girthsfiandthrough adjacent portions of their respective legsl, it beingnoted inthis co mection that the .endlportions of. said girths- 3 are disposedat J substantially right angles to the adjacent end portionsof thegirths '2 and are positioned directly beneath and abut the adjacentextended end portions of the girthsl2. f I j Bull and calf wheelssupporting and bear- .ing posts 6 are supported in substantiallyverticalilpositions between the intermediate portions of the plankgirths 2 bypassing I bolts or other suitable fastening devices 7 throughsaid girths 2 and the adjacent upper end portions of the posts 6.

As hereinbefore stated,, during the I socalled spudding in,.or initialdrilling oper ations, a great-amount of upward stress is inspacedparallel relation and having their opposite ends .overlappinglyand abuttingly engaged with the upper marginalportions of the remainingg1rths,' of bracing means engaged with each ofsaid'legs imme- I diatelyabove the paired girths, and laterally offset horizontallypositionedabutments in-v tegral'with the lower portions .of eachrof said bracingmeans, certain of said abutments being disposed longitudinally of and gin abutting engagement f'with the adjacent marginal portions of one ofeach of the vpaired girths,and the remaining labutments' V beingdisposed transversely of'and in abutting engagement with the adjacentmarginal e of such paired girths.-

3. The combinatmn with a derrick con:

7 l struction having portions of the legs thereof interconnected bysuperposedplank girths, the plank girths engaging certain of the sidesof the legs being paired and arranged in spaced parallel relation andhavingtheir abuttingly engaged with'the upper marginal por opposite endsoverlapping-1y and portions of the overlapping opposite ends tions oftheremaining girths, of bracing means enga'ged'with c o aid 1egs.mmediately abwe t Pa ed girths, each of said bracing means comprismg an'angularly, formed plate, theo'pposed sides of whi'chxare of widthsgreaterjthan the widthof the ad- J jacentside of the derrickleg engagedthereby, and laterally extending horizontally p02 'sitioned abutmentflanges formed integral with the lower sides'of each of said plates,

upper extremities of said. sides of the bracing means having bracingreceiving openings formed therein.

In-witness whereof I have hereunto set I my hand,

CARL H. BEssE:

